Of Nymphs and Werewolves
by Ladypheonixquill
Summary: Tonks is badly injured in the last battle, leaving her on the edge of life and death. As Remus sits by her bedside, memories come flooding back to him, from the time they first met, to the fateful night when he nearly lost her forever...
1. Chapter 1

**__**

Of Nymphs and Werewolves

Just a little something I had an idea for. Mostly fluff. Tell me what you think. R/R!

_Chapter 1_

It was morning when Remus awoke, his head pounding, from the bright sunlight filtering through the curtains in ward fifty-six. He blinked, frowning slightly at his throbbing temples, before remembering he was in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He felt his headache intensify when he recalled why he was there.

Remus sat up in an armchair he didn't remember falling asleep in, and turned his head to look at the bed by his side. There, lying on her back, with a face as white as the sheet on top of her, lay Nymphadora Tonks, sweat dripping down her forehead. Her eyes were closed in uneasy sleep and she had a large bruise on the side of her head, it's dark purple shape looking sinister against the pallor of her skin.

For one agonizing moment, Lupin thought she was dead, but sighed with relief when he saw her heavily-bandaged chest rise and fall in a feverish sigh.

"Awake already, Remus?" came a voice from behind. Remus gave a start and stood up. In the doorway stood a tall, balding man, and anxious smile playing about his lips.

"How did you sleep?"

Lupin made no answer, but merely shrugged in return and sat back down. He reached out and took one of Tonks' limp hands. The smile from Mr Weasley's face vanished. Cautiously, he walked up and stood at the foot of the bed.

"Still no change?" he asked, his eyes full of pity at the painful expression on her face.

Lupin shook his head and squeezed her hand.

Silence fell over the two men as both watched the small figure turn over to her side.

Arthur stole a glance at Lupin. His unkempt hair was in bad need of a wash, his eyes were wide and bloodshot, and his lips were cracked and bloody from where he had spent hours biting them. Add that to the amount of wait he'd lost in the past few days, the untidiness of his clothes and the greenish tinge of his face, and there was no mistaking that the man was seriously ill.

"Thought you would of slept longer, the dose we gave you…"

Lupin looked up, puzzled. Arthur blushed slightly.

"We…uh… tampered a bit with your coffee last night…" he said quietly. "Decided you needed a bit of rest, after all the…er…excitement."

Lupin stared at him for a moment, before saying hoarsely:

"You put something in my drink?"

"Well…um… not me… One of the Healers, you know… Nice chap, actually… Very calm…" Arthur trailed off uncomfortably.

Lupin closed his eyes as the migraine peaked. "You all think I've gone mad, haven't you?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"No! No, of course not," replied Mr Weasley hastily. "Just…"

"Going ."

Alastor Moody had limped into the ward, his magic eye spinning madly as he inspected the small room.

"Good morning Remus," he said in what he probably considered was a friendly voice.

"How are you?"

"Fine," replied Remus, without looking at him. His gaze was fixed on Tonks, who was murmuring something.

Moody raised a questioning eyebrow at Arthur, who shook his head grimly.

"Fraderlick said last night that if there was no change in twenty-four hours time, there wouldn't be much they could do…" he whispered to Mad-Eye. "Eight jinxes, Alastor… And most of them Dark Magic…"

Moody nodded, and jerked his head in the direction of the door.

"I think we'd better leave him, Arthur…" he growled. "He needs to be alone… I'll make the Death Eaters who did this pay the maximum price, you mark my words, Arthur, I'll…"

"We'll come and see you again soon, Remus," said Arthur, drowning out Moody's animated whispers. "Take care."

"Yeah, look after yourself."

Moody patted him awkwardly on the back and they left, shutting the door as quietly as possible, leaving Lupin alone once more.

He sat, motionless, absentmindedly stroking her hand as he gazed into the face he loved so much. What the Healers told him last night had devastated him. He didn't blame them drugging his drink - his reaction was nothing short of a nervous breakdown. Now, when he was so emotionally drained, all he felt was this hollow emptiness. It was worse then shouting and sobbing, like he did the night before. The helplessness of the situation was driving him insane.

"If she dies, I'm going with her," he thought. _"The war is over… I've got nothing else to live for…"_

he thought. 

The war had indeed ended several hours after Tonks was rushed into hospital. Now, it had been three days that she had lain in unconsciousness upon the same bed, with no signs of awakening.

Tonks stirred slightly and he tensed, his hand gripping hers, but, after a while, she went still again.

"No, she's not going to die," he told himself. _"She can't… I won't let her…"_

he told himself. 

It seemed unreal. Tonks, who had always been so full of life…

Lupin remembered when they first met. The first thing that struck him was how _alive _she was. He had lead quite a depressing life, and she had brought a breath of fresh air into it.

He could remember it as though it was yesterday: it was had been two days since the Triwizard tournament, and he and Sirius had just moved into Grimmauld Place, waiting for news from Dumbledore…

He was battling some Doxys that had ambushed him in the morning when he'd tried to draw the curtains in the kitchen. They seemed quite insistent about keeping the old lace as a home, and it took a while for him to get them under control.

"Need a hand?" came a voice. Sirius was grinning in the doorway. "Fast little buggers, aren't they?"

Remus swiped at one that was tugging on his ear. "I'll be fine, there's just a lot of them. Haven't you got anything to do?"

"Yep," replied Sirius, not moving from where he stood.

Lupin Stunned six that had been gnawing at his bootlaces. "Well…"

"I'm waiting for someone…" replied Sirius, his voice full of suppressed excitement. "She'll be here any moment."

Lupin paused in his activities. "She?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you going to tell me who she _is?" _

"My cousin."

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Lupin asked, puzzled. "If you're going to have a family get-together, maybe you should pick a better OUCH!"

One of the Doxys had sunk it's teeth into his finger. Lupin shook it off and Stunned it, watching in satisfaction as it fell to the ground. Sirius was laughing.

"No, Moony, she's been recruited for the Order… In fact, I've never met her before… She's Andromeda's daughter, remember Andromeda? My favourite cous…"

He was interrupted by the doorbell (A/N Dumbledore hadn't added all the security procedures yet. Ed)_ and shot out of the room, with Remus watching him. Suddenly, he felt something wriggle down his shirt. Swearing, he plunged a hand down after the culprit. It was very uncomfortable trying to reach it, and one or twice it bit him on the hand. After some time, it dawned on him to take his shirt off. It was only when he had the squirming thing between his fingers that a slight cough alerted him to another presence in the room. _

A few feet away, looking scandalised, stood an elderly old lady with tight curls and pie-shaped hat. She wore an old, beige suit and brown skirt, and had small, watery eyes.

Lupin's mouth dropped.

He glanced at Sirius, who was standing behind her, shaking with silent laughter. For a few moments they stood in silence, until Sirius finally seemed to gain control of himself and stepped forward to make the introductions.

"Remus, this is Nymphadora," he said, gasping slightly. "Nymphadora, meet Remus."

"Charmed," replied the old woman.

"Nice to meet you," said Lupin, going very red. There was something very wrong about all this… Maybe he had misheard… Maybe this was Sirius's great-aunt or something…

The old lady shook his hand, and they looked at each other warily for a moment. Then, suddenly, she erupted with laughter. Lupin gaped, and turned to Sirius, but he was practically rolling around on the floor. Very confused, he realised that his shirt was still open and did it up hastily, but before he had finished the top button, stopped in bewilderment, staring at where the old woman had been.

Except that she was not there anymore.

In her place, tears of mirth streaming down her eyes, was a young woman with bright, bubblegum-pink hair. She was now sitting on the arm of the sofa, clutching her sides.

"Hahahahahahahah! Your… Face…Hehehehehe…Sirius… I'm… Dying…HAHAHAHAAHAHA!"

Sirius was frantically making apologetic gestures at Remus, unable to do anything with himself. It looked as though he had been hit with a dozen Cheering Charms. Then, the Doxy that Remus had been holding all this time let out a squeak and bit Remus's finger, who let go. The little imp flew and tried to bite Sirius on the nose. That brought him to his senses.

"Oi! Little bugger…Come 'ere." Sirius retrieved it and, opening the kitchen window, threw it out. The young woman sat up, wiping her eyes.

Sirius grinned at Remus, who was still looking bemused.

"Remus, this is Nymphadora…"

"Sirius…" growled the woman, narrowing her eyes.

"Er… this is Tonks, who doesn't like her first name…"

"Understatement of the century," muttered Tonks.

"And so prefers to be called by her surname only."

" Wotcher Remus. Having pest problems?" she said brightly, nodding at the Doxy-filled curtains.

"Tonks is a Metamorophmagus," grinned Sirius. "We decided to play a trick on you, and it turned out even better than we thought…"

It finally clicked. Remus felt himself blush to his roots.

"Sorry, about…um…", he murmured.

"Oh, no worries," replied Tonks and her dark eyes twinkled. "I've never had such a welcome…"

Sirius sniggered. "Sorry, mate, but you should have seen your face, you looked like Snape had just proposed to you."

" Very funny," scowled Remus. He turned to Tonks, who had her face screwed up, as though she was trying to remember something. The next thing, her hair had turned a dark purple. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely

"Pink was better," said Sirius, matter-of-factly.

"I know, but Doxys are attracted to bright colours," she replied with a grin. "And it looks like if we're going to have tea in peace, we're going to have to get rid of this lot first." With that she pulled out her wand and winked at Lupin. "I'll help you if it goes down any more of your clothing again."

she (A/N Dumbledore hadn't added all the security procedures yet. Ed) 

Remus found himself brought back to Earth by a loud gasp. Startled, he looked down at Tonks, who lying awake, her eyes wide, her breaths quick and shallow.

"Remus…" she whispered.

Lupin jumped up and sprinted out of the ward. In the corridor, he bumped into Healer Faderlick, who was talking to one of the nurses.

"She's awake," was all Lupin could say. Fraderlick nodded, and, after telling the nurse to send him back up to ward fifty-six, followed Lupin.

Back in the ward, Tonks was sitting up, her face crumpled in pain.

"Right," said the Healer, opening a cabinet door and taking out some bottles. "It'll be best if you wait outside."

"NO!" shouted Lupin, standing beside the bed and holding her hand. "I won't…"

"There's no time to argue…" replied the Healer, pulling out his wand, as several matrons entered the room and started ushering Lupin out of the door. "Please, leave…"

The next thing he knew, Remus was standing outside, the door shut in his face.

How was that? More details about how she was injured will follow in later chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

**__**

Of Nymphs and Werewolves

Thanks for the reviews guys, really appreciate it. Here's chappie 2 for ya!

Chapter 2

Remus stared at the shut door in front of him, his head spinning. What happened? She was awake, that must be a good sign, mustn't it?

He pressed his ear against the wood, faintly making out muffled voices from behind it. There seemed to be something wrong, he could hear Fraderlick's anxious baritone shouting at someone.

It was useless trying to understand anything. All the noises had mixed up in his head, creating one big buzzing sound.

Lupin rubbed his forehead and leaned heavily against the wall.

__

"It's going to be alright," he told himself_. "She's going to be fine… She has to be…"_

The buzzing in his head gradually grew into a roar, until he had to sit down for fear of collapsing. He could remember losing control like this only one other time, when he found out Dumbledore was dead.

The thought that there was nothing he could do, that there was no way of helping her, that she was lying there, possibly on the verge of life and death, in the hands of complete strangers, was eating away at his mind. He made an impatient gesture, got up suddenly and banged his fist against the opposite wall. It hurt quite a lot, and he had to stuff it in his mouth to stop himself swearing.

"Remus?"

Molly Weasley was standing beside him, her face screwed up with worry. "Remus, what's wrong? Is it Tonks? Has something happened?"

Remus removed his hand from his mouth. He suddenly felt completely exhausted, and felt his legs buckle slightly. Molly caught him by the arm.

"Sit down, dear, sit down," she said, leading him to a chair. "There. Have some of this." She conjured up a bottle out of thin air with her wad and handed it too him. "It'll calm you down."

Lupin didn't argue and gulped down the liquid greedily. He suddenly felt his head clear, and a light warmth spread through his body.

"Thank you, Molly," he whispered, handing back the bottle, but she pressed it back into his hand.

"Keep it, just in case," she replied softly, surveying him with nervous eyes. "What happened?"

"She's awake, but something's wrong…" Lupin stared down at the floor. "I don't know, they forced me out of the room…" He trailed off, a sharp pain in his chest stopping him from completing the sentence. Molly nodded.

"There there, have another drink," she said soothingly. "Everything will be fine, just you wait…"

Remus took another draught and lay back against the chair. It was as though he was seeing everything through a light mist. Molly patted his arm. "You just have a rest there, Remus…"

The mist seemed to be getting thicker and his eyelids suddenly felt very heavy. A complete sense of calm suddenly washed over him, and then everything was lost in darkness…

__

All was quiet in Privet Drive, as Lupin sat on the roof of Harry's house, looking out to where the waxing moon rose slowly over the neat gardens. It was a warm, cloudless night and the stars twinkled bright and numerous above his head. The Disillusionment Charm over him made him quite invisible to passing muggles, not that there were many of them in the deserted street though.

Below him, Remus knew Harry was lying awake on his bed, waiting impatiently until tomorrow when Dumbledore would come and take him away to the Burrow. It was a shame he couldn't let him know there was a friend close by…

Remus eyed the perfect lawn below him and remembered when Tonks had sent the Dursleys a letter saying they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition and chuckled silently to himself. He had never met anyone quite like her…

"What are you giggling about?"

Lupin looked up. Tonks' head was bobbing about over him. Her hair was shoulder length and powder-blue tonight.

"Moody finally gave you his Cloak, then?" he asked, as she smiled down at him.

"With a lot of pushing from me, yes. Sturgis still hasn't given back his good one, you know."

He felt her sit down beside him.

"You're Disillusionment Charm's starting to ware off," she said, nodding at his midriff. Sure enough, when he looked down at his waist, he saw that he was quite visible.

"Oh, well, I'd better be going anyway, since you're here," he replied, a slight wave of disappointment passing through him.

"What's the rush?" Tonks asked and before he could reply, had thrown the cloak over him so it covered them both. "Stay a while…Look, it's such a lovely night."

Lupin hadn't the strength to argue. They were so close he could feel her breath on his face…

They stayed silent for a few moments. There was a no sound apart from the light rustle of the shrubbery.

"It's at times like this that I can hardly believe there's a war raging on," she whispered, looking up at the sky.

Remus smiled. "What's this, Tonks? Is that the romantic in you seeping through?"

She nudged him lightly in the ribs. "You sounded just like Sirius when you said that."

Remus lowered his eyes. "It's a shame you never got to know him much."

"Yeah, funny how life works out, isn't it?" she replied, more to herself than to him.

"You know, this may sound weird, but I'm going to miss it when all this is over."

"What do you mean?" asked Lupin, turning to look at her. The moon was reflected in her dark eyes.

"I mean those times we all spent at Grimmauld Place together and stuff. I don't think I've ever felt myself more at home anywhere, or met such interesting people." Their eyes met for a second, before he looked away.

"You have a family…Be thankful…"  
"Yeah, well… We're like one big family, aren't we? Friends are the family we chose for ourselves…"

"True."

Silence fell once more. It wasn't uncomfortable, both were engrossed in their own thoughts.

"You and your mother, you don't really get on, do you?"

Tonks frowned a little. "I've always been closer to my dad…Me and Mum, we're very different people. I never forgave her for calling me Nymphadora…"

Lupin laughed.

Tonks grinned. "You should laugh more often, Remus. You look younger…"

"I've no business looking younger," replied Lupin, still smiling. "I was born old."

It was Tonks' turn to giggle. "What a positive attitude. Really…You're only as old as you feel."  
"Than I'm prehistoric …" said Lupin as they both chuckled.

"You're a wonderful man, Remus," said Tonks.

Remus felt his stomach turn over and looked at her. Her face was deadly serious.

"No, not really… he said lamely.

"Yes you are," she replied. "You're so different…"

"Yes, well maybe the fact that I'm a were…"

Her mouth closed on his in a soft kiss, cutting him off. The cloak slipped of them, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. They sank back against the roof, as his hands hugged her back.

After a few moments, they broke apart, breathless.

"Tonks…" he whispered, as her eyes bore into his. "What…"

She put a finger to his lips, silencing him and leaned forward again. Their lips met again, but this time he pushed her away.

"Stop," he said. There was worry in his voice. "Look, I can't do this…"

"What…"

But he was already on his feet, picking up the fallen cloak. He handed it to her, avoiding her gaze.

"Remus…"  
"Don't argue, Tonks. That was…a mistake…"

"A what?" she spluttered. "A mistake?"

"Yes…"

"Remus, have you gone completely nuts?"

"Look, Tonks…"

Or do you want me to tell you first that I love you?"

He stared at her. Her face was set in determination.  
"On the contrary," he said quietly, his voice higher than usual. "I don't want to force you into anything…"

"Really?" her eyes narrowed.

"Tonks, you're a smart woman, be realistic. What could possibly happen between you and me?"

"Er… What just happened!" she shouted. "Don't be a fool, Remus…"

"Don't speak to me like that," he said sharply. " You don't realise…You haven't got the faintest idea… You…"

"What? Don't give me that crap, Remus, emotional blackmail doesn't work with me."

"Tonks, I'm fourteen years older than you, a werewolf and haven't got two Knuts to rub together…"

"Remus. I'm a grown woman, not some stupid teenager… You really think that…"

"Tonks, I have to go…"

"Don't walk away from me, Remus…"

"I'm going away tomorrow," said Lupin. "Dumbledore's sending me away to live with others of my kind."

Tonks' mouth fell open. "No…"

"Yes," he said flatly.

"When will you come back?" she asked, and there were tears in her eyes.

"I don't know. Not for a while."

"Remus…"

"Goodbye, Tonks."

And he Disapparated.

"Mr Lupin! Mr Lupin, wake up!"

Someone was shaking his shoulders lightly. Remus groaned and opened his eyes. Healer Fraderlick was standing over him, peering into his face.

"Mr Lupin, we've finished…"

Remus sat up, his heart thudding.

"You can come in now…"

Gestures at the button below Go on, you know you want to…


	3. Chapter 3

**__**

Of Nymphs and Werewolves

I love you guys, sniffs and wipes away tear thank you for your support. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Remus stood up, swaying slightly. His head felt leaden-heavy. The bottle of potion was still in his hand as he followed Healer Fraderlick back into ward fifty-six.

The little room was dark; night had fallen while Lupin slept, and the only source of light was a small candle by Tonks' bed. She was lying quite still…

"We nearly lost her at one point," said Faderlick beside him, as they approached the bed. "Two of the spells, very Dark Magic, weren't cast properly at the time… Caused some real damage to her chest - the reason she was out of breath. You called us just in time, a few more minutes and she would have not stood a chance of recovering."

"Will she… Is she…" Lupin couldn't finish the sentence. Fraderlick smiled slightly.

"She's going to be fine," he nodded.

It was as though a heavy stone had fallen from Lupin's heart. He looked at the figure lying on the bed, his eyes filling with tears.

"She's still weak," continued the Healer. "We'll keep her in for another few weeks, but we're positive she'll make a full recovery."  
"Thank you," whispered Lupin, not wanting the Fraderlick to see he was crying. "For everything."

"Your welcome," replied Fraderlick kindly. "If you need anything, just give us a shout."

With that, Lupin was left alone. For a moment he stood, overcome with emotion, gazing down at her face. The pained expression had left it. She was lying, her chest rising and falling quite freely, her cheeks lightly flushed in sleep. He knew better than to wake her, and blew out the candle by her bedside.

The moon shone through the window in the tiny room. It would be full in three days time, which meant he had to be well out of St Mungo's by then, but now he simply drew the curtain, not letting such thoughts creep into his head.

__

She was alive, she was going to live…

Lupin sat down in the same armchair. It was strange thinking that, only a few hours ago, he had rushed from it in such different spirits.

He looked down at the potion in his hand. It was nearly empty… There would be no need for it anyway, now.

He would have to talk to the others about drugging him like that, it gave you the most awful headache after…

Then he remembered the dream he'd had… The fateful night on the roof…

If it wasn't for that night he'd maybe have never come to love her like he did today. He'd have silenced his little infatuation. After the roof incident, though, every attempt of trying to drown her out had exactly the opposite effect. Maybe he couldn't forget that look in her eyes, or the feel of her lips on hers, but it had been the turning point in the realisation of his feelings.

After that night they didn't meet again for a long while. When they did though, he was struck by the change in her. She was no longer bright and bubbly, she had lost the liveliness in her voice, not to mention the ability to change her appearance. Then, her Patronus had taken a different shape… He couldn't believe it, what he'd thought was a simple crush had grown into a deep and most powerful feeling. There was no hiding from it, despite the fact he tried his hardest to.

Again and again he'd told her to carry on, but then it wasn't as though she had a choice. He had conveniently forgotten what it was like to be in love.

Then came the night of Dumbledore's death…

__

Bill Weasley was lying in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, his face mangled after the savage attack by Greyback. Fleur, his fiancé, mopped up his wounds, watched by Molly, who had the most curious expression on her face. Tonks was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed, her face unreadable. Arthur was standing by Bill's bed, accompanied by Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville Longbottom and another girl Lupin didn't know. (AN: Luna Lovegood)

Mrs Weasley spoke:

"Our Great Auntie Muriel," she said. "has a very beautiful tiara - goblin made - which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair."

"Thank you," replied Fleur stiffly. "I am sure zat will be lovely."

Then, suddenly, both women were hugging each other and crying. Lupin raised his eyebrows at Arthur, but his eye was caught by Tonks, who looked furious all of a sudden.

"You see!" she said in a strained voice, walking up to him. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

Oh no…

"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely -"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" Tonks had seized the front of his robes and shaking them aggressively. "I've told you a million times…"

"And I've told you _a million times ," said Lupin, staring fixedly at the floor, avoiding her gaze, "that I'm too old for you, too poor… too dangerous…"_

"I've said all along you're taking a ridiculous line on this, Remus," said Molly, still hugging Fleur.

"I am not being ridiculous," replied Lupin, feeling cornered. "Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."

"But she wants you," said Arthur, smiling slightly. "And after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so." He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them.

"This is…not the time to discuss it," said Lupin helplessly, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Dumbledore is dead…"

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think there was a little more love in the world," said Professor McGonagall curtly, dismissing his attempt to change the subject. The doors to the Hospital Wing swung open and Hagrid walked in.

His face was swollen as he sobbed, a vast spotted handkerchief in his hand.

"I've … I've done it, Professor," he choked. "M - moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin' down but he says he'll be all right in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Ministry'd been informed."

"Thank you Hagrid," said Professor McGonagall, standing up quickly and turning to the group gathered around Bill's bed. "I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here. Hagrid, please tell the Heads of House - Slughorn can represent Slytherin - that I want to see them in my office forthwith. I would like you to join us, too."

Hagrid nodded and shuffled out of the room. McGonagall spoke to Harry.

"Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry. If you'll come with me…"

Harry followed her out of the room, murmuring "See you in a bit," to the others.

Lupin stayed silent, not daring to lift his gaze from the floor. He could feel Tonks' angry glances.

"We'd…er…better go too," said Neville. The other's nodded. The four teenagers left, leaving Lupin, Tonks, Fleur, Bill and Mr and Mrs Weasley. There was an uncomfortable silence, before Tonks let out an impatient noise.

"I think I'll return to my post," she said grimly. "Make sure there's no more trouble."

Lupin felt his stomach flip over.

"Tonks…"

But she was already out of the door.

Three pairs of eyes swerved to rest on him.

"I still think you're being very silly, Remus," said Molly matter-of-factly. She had let go of Fleur and was now sitting on a chair. "And egoistic."

"Listen, I really don't feel like being interrogated right now…" began Lupin, but he was cut off by Fleur.

"I do not see ze problem…" she said, blinking at him. "She loves you, does not she?"

Lupin sighed. Not another one…

"And you love 'er, do not you?" she pressed on.

Lupin closed his eyes. Arthur spoke.

"It's time you woke up, Remus… Sirius would call you a stubborn git if he knew…"

"Sirius would have torn me limb from limb if he knew I'd fallen in love with his cousin…"

"No he wouldn't have," said Arthur exasperatedly. "He would have forced you to go after her now and tell her how you really feel."

"Go on, Remus," said Mrs Weasley. "Tonight's events prove that life's too short to be noble…"

She trailed off, going a little pale.

"Besides," said Fleur. "Zat 'air colour really does not suit 'er…"

Lupin lifted his eyes to find them all watching him eagerly. Mrs Weasley nodded encouragingly.

"Thanks," he said simply, before turning on his heel and striding out of the door.

He had just walked out of the Entrance Hall when he saw her walking down the path to the school gates.

"Tonks!" he shouted. She stopped and turned around, surprised.

"Tonks! Wait!"

Lupin jogged up to her. She stared at him, frowning.

"What?"

Remus felt his mind go blank and his mouth suddenly go dry.  
"I… um…I…"

She stood, waiting. "You…?"

"I…I love you."

Her eyes widened.

"I… I love you and I… I want to be with you, Tonks."

There was a ghost of as smile playing about her lips now. She seemed intent on letting him suffer.

"And I'm sorry for being… um…"

"A stubborn git?" she was grinning now. There was a distinct Sirius-like expression on her face.

"Well…yes…" he finished lamely. "Will you forgive me?"

Her eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"Can I call you Wolfie?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Remus laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Well… I suppose… Only when we're alone together," he replied, and then he kissed her.

"Remus?"

Lupin spun round. Tonks was sitting up on her bed, smiling at him…

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This is _not _the end, there's one more chapter to go!

But in the meantime, you can review this one… ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**__**

Of Nymphs and Werewolves

Well, here it is, the end… 'Nuff said…

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Chapter 4

"Tonks!" cried Lupin, rushing over to her.

Tonks wrapped her thin, bare arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. Lupin stroked her hair - it had been black and curly since she fought the battle - breathing in the spicy, jasmine-like scent that had always been such a comfort to him. She was in his arms again, she was safe…

"What's this, tears?" he asked, moving away slightly and lifting her chin. She wiped them away hurriedly.

"Sorry," she apologized. "You're shirts all wet…"

"Look, screw the shirt, don't you ever do that to me again, Tonks!" he said, holding her tight.

"Nah," she said with a watery smile. "Dying's not really my thing…"

"Yeah, well don't experiment," he replied, leaning his forehead against hers. "I've been to hell and back while…"

"Hell, huh?" she raised an eyebrow. "You were looking in the wrong place…"

"Stop it, Tonks…"

"Ok, ok…"

Both sat in silence, holding each other as though they could never let go.

"Remus?" she murmured finally into his shirt.

"Yes?"

"It's over, isn't it?"

He lifted his head to look into those beautiful dark eyes he had come so close to losing.

"Yes," he said quietly. "It's over."

Up until now, he had not thought about it, but the effect of the words suddenly hit him with full force. It had ended… _The pain, the suffering… It was over…_

__

It was about Midnight when, one by one, the streetlamps in Godric's Hollow went out, plunging the road into darkness.

"Cool," said as Moody pocketed the Put-Outer. "Wish you'd let me have a go, Mad-Eye…"

"Knowing your clumsiness, Tonks, you'd probably have set the whole street on fire," growled Moody. Tonks pulled a face behind his back.

"And I saw that," said Mad-Eye. "Wands out, every one. It's too quiet here."

Tonks rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand, muttering 'Lumos' as she did so.

"Keep your eyes peeled for any sign of movement…" said Moody, his magic eye working overtime as he scanned the surroundings.

"Stop," he said suddenly. The others came to halt. Tonks instinctively grabbed Lupin's arm.

"What's the matter, Moody?" asked Arthur nervously.

"There's Death Eaters in the house," replied Moody. "It's a trap…"

"Well, that's a surprise isn't it…" said Tonks sarcastically. "Never in a million years could I possibly guess…"

"Tonks, shut up," said Hestia Jones from behind her back.

"Is Harry in there?" asked Lupin.

"No, thankfully," growled Moody. "They obviously wanted him on his own, wanted to separate us. Voldemort's not in there either…"

"How many are there?" squeaked Diggle.

"They outnumber us two to one," said Moody. "The best thing we can do is…" He trailed off suddenly.

"DUCK!"

"What the…"

A jet of green light just missed Tonks' shoulder.

"SHIT!"

"Tonks!" shouted Lupin.

"They're on the bloody roof!" yelled Moody, falling to the ground and sending a spell over his shoulder. There was a satisfying shout behind him and a dull thud. "Get something behind your backs, all of you!"

The party split up, with Arthur and Diggle going down one of the alleyways, Tonks and Mad-Eye up against the wall of the furthest house, Remus and Kingsley standing back-to-back behind a large gate and Hestia, together with a another female Auror, Raven O'Neil in a small cols-de-sac across the road.

"There's too many of them," shouted Arthur, shooting a spell from behind the fence.

"We'll have to Disapparate!"

"Come out, come out, dear niece of mine," came a taunting voice. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing on the roof opposite, a mad smile on her face. "I thought I'd finished you at the Ministry of Magic…"

"Mad-Eye!" came Raven's husky voice. "Mad-Eye! They've put a fucking anti-Disapparation spell on the place!"

Tonks felt Moody tense up behind her, they were trapped…

"We need a distraction…" she whispered.

"And guess where Harry Potter is?" The sneering voice of Lucious Malfoy came from above left. "By his parents' graves… The Dark Lord wanted them to be all together when he finishes him off… Lovely little family gathering…

"He's got him at St Godric's Church…" said Moody. "Nice little plan, Voldemort…"

"Yeah, five stars for originality," breathed Tonks, staring at the no-man's-land in the middle of the street. "Wait…"

She lifted her wand gave it a slight flick. A map of the surrounding area beamed out in front of her. "You can get to it if you pass the cols-de-sac where Jones and Raven dived into. If you cut across the garden of house number twenty-six, you'll end up on the outskirts of the churchyard…"

"Don't make us come down there…" Bellatrix was getting impatient.

"Moody, Disillusionment charm…"

Moody nodded and rapped her on the head with his wand.

"Be careful," he growled.

Tonks looked for something where she could get higher up. There was a tree nearby which she could climb and get onto the roof of the house opposite, the only problem was that it was dangerously close to one of the Death Eater's perches. Looks like she'll just have to take the risk…

It was hard to get up the tree without making much noise. As if on purpose, it was a windless night, and she knew that the Death Eaters were listening out for any sign of movement. Carefully taking it branch by branch, she could see out of the corner of her eye how Moody was slowly edging his way to where Remus and Arthur were hiding.

She was more than halfway now…

Then, she stepped on a dry branch…There was a loud snap and her foot slipped treacherously.

"Shit…" she muttered, hanging dangerously by her hands.

"Whose there?" the Death Eater was looking down, his wand raised. She knew the quicker she got up the better. Heaving herself up by her hands, managed to climb to the top and jumped onto the roof. She pulled her wand out…

"NOOOO!" someone screamed.

"MORSMORDRE!" she roared, seeing at the same time how the Dark Mark left her wand and a jet of red light flying towards her. In the space of a split second, she rolled over, sending a spell at the Death Eater and swung herself onto the tree. He'd managed to take the Disillusionment charm off when she'd jumped onto the roof.

Tonks quickly made her way down the tree, not conscious of the yells coming from the other group. She could see them running for the cols-de-sac, with spells zooming in different directions. Her feet hit the ground and without thinking she charged off after the others.

Streams of light were missing her by centimetres, she could hear anxious cries, mixed with Death Eater's incantations roaring in her ears. There was no time to look back, the smallest part of a second could cost her her life…

She was catching up with the others, she could see them jumping over the tall wall that separated the garden of house number twenty-six from the street. Shadows were moving in the corner of her eye; the Death Eaters were running across the roofs.

"Tonks, hurry!" she heard Remus shout. He was standing on the wall, his hand outstretched. A yellow beam of light blinded her suddenly and she miscalculated her jump, just managing to grip the edge of the wall with her arms. Remus took her hand, desperately trying to pull her up.

"Remus…" she groaned. "Don't bother…" There were loud footsteps behind them. She was slowly slipping…

"Be quiet and push up," he snapped. "Don't you even think about it…"

"Remus…"

"NO!"

BANG!

Eight beams of light hit her, smashing the wall. Remus toppled off, the bricks flying on top of him… He felt his back connect with the ground, horrible pain hitting him all over… There were angry shouts, muffled yells, screams, more jets of light… Then he saw her lying face down among the rubble…

Panting, he grabbed her wrist in a tight grip and Disapparated…

"Remus?"

"Hmmm?"

Lupin looked down to see her gazing at him intently.

"Is everyone… all right?" she asked anxiously.

Lupin nodded, not quite meeting her eye. "Everyone's fine… Injuries of course, but they'll live…"

Tonks took his hand in hers, examining it closely. He watched her with interest as she traced her finger up every palm line, a strange expression on her face.

"I saw Sirius, you know…" she said quietly..

Lupin jumped, his eyes wide. "What… what did you say?"

She lifted her face. She was smiling the most beautiful sad smile he had ever seen. Tonks continued in a voice quite unlike her own.

"I saw everyone. Sirius, Dumbledore, Lily and James Potter, the Prewitts, Edgar Bones… All those who didn't make it, Remus… All those who died…"

Lupin eyed her warily, awestruck.

"They were all dressed in white and standing on the edge of the Great Lake. They were smiling at me…"

Lupin's heart was pounding in his ears as he listened, not sure what to think. Tears were rolling down her cheeks…

"I tried to go with them, but Sirius stopped me," she said, her eyes bright. "He said it wasn't time… He said you needed me…"

Remus gulped. He didn't know what to say.

"You do believe me, don't you?"

Remus gazed into her shining dark eyes. She was still smiling, but it wasn't the smile of a mad woman. No, it was the smile of one who had seen and experienced perfect peace and happiness, it was something that no one could understand apart from her…

Remus drew her in and hugged her tight. "Of course I do…"

"He said you'd been dreaming about me since I came into Hospital… That he'd been sending you memories to help you through…"

Lupin felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Is it true?"

There was an expectant pause.

"Yes."

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SOB Finite la comedia…

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